Santiago, Marcos on new DAP list

THE latest list released by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) showing funds coursed through the defunct Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) only bolstered critics’ allegation that such funds were used as “extra pork barrel” funds for lawmakers.

Besides being “incomplete,” the list that was first made public by Budget Secretary Florencio Abad on Wednesday evening was “sanitized,” according to Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) secretary general Renato Reyes Jr.

The list identified 19 incumbent senators as endorsers of projects under the program, including Senators Miriam Defensor Santiago and Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., who were previously not mentioned in the initial list presented by Abad.

Also, four former senators were also named by the DBM as having nominated DAP projects–Manuel Villar, Francis Pangilinan, Edgardo Angara and Joker Arroyo.

In an interview with The Manila Times on Thursday, Reyes said the latest DAP list has many loopholes and that it only raised more questions than answers.

“The funds allotted to various local projects have not been properly reported. [President Benigno] Aquino [3rd’s] claim that DAP [funds are] unlike PDAF [Priority Development Assistance Funds] is completely demolished by the fact that DAP [funds were]used as extra pork for lawmakers,” the Bayan leader added.

By clearly showing that the funds were identified by lawmakers in the same fashion that the PDAF funds were earmarked for various projects, Reyes said it cannot be proven that DAP money was not abused.

The PDAF was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court last year, along with other forms of pork barrel funds.

“The claim that projects did not end up in corruption also falls flat on its face as a full accounting is yet to be made,” Reyes said.

“We will press DBM and Malacanang to release the complete list,” he added.

The DBM announced that the list of legislator-nominated projects funded from savings and supported through the DAP includes information on the projects and their respective endorsers in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The DAP was launched by the Aquino administration in 2011 to ramp up public spending and boost the country’s economic growth.

“Although combing through all the projects took some time, we believed that the fidelity of our data could not be compromised in favor of speed. We now urge the Filipino people to scrutinize the list carefully. In this manner, the Aquino administration will be better-positioned to heed the citizens’ call for increased transparency, accountability and openness in public expenditure,” Abad said.

In July this year, the SC ruled that some aspects of the DAP and its implementation were unconstitutional.

Abad explained that while the DAP played a significant role in the country’s economic development, it also created a direct and positive impact on communities on the ground, primarily through socio-economic initiatives.

“DAP allowed us to direct funds toward the DepEd [Department of Education] for the construction of school buildings, as well as for the implementation of the Alternative Learning System. These investments in our long-term public education goals will allow us to build a citizenry that is better-educated and primed for employment,” he said.

In response to critics’ claims, meanwhile, Malacanang deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte also said on Thursday that it was wrong to cast doubts on the new DAP list which, she claimed, detailed all the information regarding its use.

“The updated list has the identifying project proponents [and]special allotment release order numbers for each project and the date of issuance, including the project descriptions and actual project output. Those who are interested may scrutinize the list,” she added.

A lawyer, the Palace official challenged critics to prove their allegation that the list was “sanitized,” saying “the burden is on them to prove that it is sanitized.”

“Let us not stop at motherhood statements. Let us go down and drill with data that would support your assumption that it is sanitized,” Valte said.

Also, according to her, it would not be correct to assume that funds went through the hands of proponents because none did. Valte said it will be up to the lawmakers to explain the details surrounding their endorsement of the DAP-funded projects.

11 Comments

Halos lahat nakinabang sa Pork at DAP so who can say now na hindi
sila magnanakaw sa kaban ng taong bayan. No one believe them now.
No matter what they read and hear from the MEDIA , majority of us can
not be fooled no more.

When will this Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. et al make a loud voice against the Binays wealth and corrupt practices. Were you Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. given a portion of the KURAKOT that’s why you are so QUIET about the BINAYS? It’s the same as your being so QUIET about China’s incursions to Phil territories. Komunista nga kayo. Masyado na kayong halatado sa pinapanigan ninyong matwid (kuno) para sa taong bayan.

If not sanitized, why is it the earlier DAP recipients list is different from the just released list which includes Santiago and Marcos? Release the earlier list. It is for ABAD AND PNOY TO PROVE THAT THE LIST IS NOT SANITIZED.

This is another ploy of Malacanang operatives to include Santiago and M arcos (only two of the three Senators ) who did not find, then sitting Chief Justice Corona be impeach by the Senate and therefore they were excluded from the list to receive the purported incentive or bribe called DAP funds .

I am sure that all incriminating documents, that can be destroyed,l have been destroyed. It is important to find out where the savings came from and where are the saving not spent. We have to get all documents to uncover the big coverup that is going on. Truth is certainly not forthcoming with Abad. It has to be uncovered.

It looks like the DBM office of Abad purposely stipulated that the 3 Senathieves who are now under the courts are the biggest thieves of public money. Where is the name of Drillon who is said to be the biggest recipient of Pork from PDAF and DAP. How about Escudero, Cayetano and the rest who also collected huge funds?

The truth about DAP is coming in drop lets. By now it can be said with certainty that Chief Justice Corona was ousted illegally as a result of bribery committed no less by aquino when he released public funds to the cash-hungry legislators just to impeach CJ Corona which is also an attempt by aquino and his band of thieves to gain control of the judiciary. At this time, We no longer have a true democratic republican state. The philippine government, except perhaps the judiciary branch, is in the hands of THIEVES who want to perpetuate themselves in power. Giving those thieves more time at the helm of government would allow them to manipulate and escape from their criminal liabilities as they are still in position to hide and destroy incriminating evidence. People should now press the recipients of those public funds (DAP/PDAF/Malampaya and Other pork barrel funds such the Intelligence Funds) to disclose in a SWORN AFFIDAVIT/STATEMENT a detailed accounting and uses of those funds that they received from aquino for verification by the general public. They should take the initiative of reporting to the people the disposition of those public funds entrusted or allowed to be stolen by them thru DBM.

When he announced he wanted to clip the powers of the SC, it just showed and proved he was the mastermind in getting Corona impeached. He made a blunder putting Sereno as CJ because Sereno, as it turns out, cannot be dictated.